


Making It Legal

by Ink_Gypsy



Series: Grandmother Wood Universe [29]
Category: LOTR RPS
Genre: Grandmother Wood Universe, M/M, Sean Astin/Elijah Wood - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-04
Updated: 2015-07-04
Packaged: 2018-04-07 15:29:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4268529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ink_Gypsy/pseuds/Ink_Gypsy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Now that being able to get married is a reality, Sean and Elijah decide they need to start making plans.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Making It Legal

**Author's Note:**

> Part of my Grandmother Wood Universe. Written to celebrate the Supreme Court's historic decision to make same-sex marriage legal in all fifty states.

I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I, Sean Astin, am the only one who knows the real reason Elijah Wood has been wearing those tailored shirts buttoned up to his neck for the last several years.

Most people believe he does it because he's embarrassed by fans who wax poetic about the graceful curve of his neck, but the truth is, Elijah wears his shirts buttoned up to hide the fact that even though he hasn't played Frodo Baggins since the first film in _The Hobbit_ trilogy, he's still a ringbearer. And before you ask, no, it isn't The One Ring that Peter Jackson gave him after we finished filming _The Lord of the Rings_. 

The ring Elijah wears is the one I gave him on the second Christmas after I left my wife and we began living together. Eight years ago, sitting in his Grandmother's living room in Iowa, I asked Elijah to marry me, and even though my divorce wasn't final yet, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Elijah and hoped he wanted the same. To my great joy, he did, but it was only a pipe dream then. Sure, we could live together; we could even have a commitment ceremony, but despite our profession, where so many live outside what most people consider the norm, Elijah and I are both traditional people, which for us meant marriage, so while Elijah accepted my proposal, since we couldn't make it legal even after my divorce was final, we decided not to publicize our engagement until we could.

Even though we didn't go public, we wanted to keep the tokens of our love close to our hearts, so Elijah wears his ring on a chain around his neck, and because Samwise Gamgee was a ringbearer, too, even for a short time, I wear its twin on a chain around mine, and the only time we take them off is if we're working on a film that requires us to wear a wardrobe shirt where they'd show.

We've been wearing those rings around our necks longer than Frodo ever did, and the chance for us to take them off their chains and wear them on the left fingers of our left hands as a legally-married couple seemed an impossibility...until today.

Today the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples can legally marry nationwide. It sounds crazy, but when I heard the news, the first person I thought of was my mother, who's crusaded for gay rights most of her life, and even served as Grand Marshall in the 1987 Pride Parade in West Hollywood. I know my first thought should have been of Elijah, but I thought of my Mom, how proud I've always been of her, and how happy she'd be that something she'd worked for that had finally happened would benefit her eldest son. I made a mental note to call her and thank her. Since she became a minister in the Universal Life Church, I thought what a kick it would be to have her marry us, but even though I was sure he'd be fine with it, I wouldn't make such an important decision without discussing it first with the man I loved first.

Elijah was out when the news hit, so I wasn't sure he'd heard it. I had just taken out my phone to call him when the front door of the beautiful house we shared in Austin when we weren't in California opened and closed and Elijah's voice rang out. "Seanie! Did you hear? It's legal for us to get married anywhere in the country! The Supreme Court says so."

"I know," I said, smiling. "It's an historic day."

"A fucking awesome day," Elijah agreed in his own inimitable way. He took the chain out from under his shirt and pulled it over his head. "We can finally put these rings where they belong."

"Not so fast," I cautioned, and immediately saw the mixed emotions Elijah was feeling as each was reflected so clearly on his face. 

First came confusion. Didn't I understand what this meant, how important it was? Next came suspicion. Had I only proposed because I knew we couldn't be legally married, using the law as a shield to hide behind, and now that it was possible, I didn't intend to honor my promise to him? Last came disappointment. Had I changed my mind? Had I been willing to live with him because I knew I could walk out any time I wanted, but now that I had the chance to sign my name on a marriage certificate, a legally-binding document, had I decided that that monumental step was farther than I was prepared to go? That last look, the one of disappointment, just about broke my heart.

"It's okay, Irish," Elijah said softly, suddenly looking as young as he did when I first met him, "I'm fine with going on the way we have been. We don't need the piece of paper, really. We don't have to get married."

"We won't be getting married," I said sternly, and even though he'd said it didn't matter to him, I saw the shock in Elijah's eyes at my words. "We won't be getting married," I repeated, "at least not until I do this." I took the chain Elijah was holding, undid the clasp and slipped the ring off so I now held it in my hand. Then, in the middle of our living room, I got down on one knee just as I'd done the first time I'd proposed, and holding the ring out to him, asked, "Elijah Jordan Wood, will you do me the honor of marrying me?"

The look of shock I'd seen on Elijah's face vanished, replaced by one of pure joy as he told me, in typical Elijahspeak, "I sure as fuck will." His irreverent reply was followed by a giggle, then in the same formal tone in which I'd proposed, he added, "Sean Patrick Astin, not only will I marry you, but Beidh grá agam duit go deo."

He pronounced the Irish words perfectly and from memory, without having to look inside the band where I'd had them inscribed before I'd given him the ring the first time. _I will love you forever_ was the English translation, and I meant it even more now than I had then. Hearing Elijah make that vow, and in Irish, truly touched my heart, and those words, along with the historic Supreme Court decision, had made this the happiest day of my life.

"We have to start making plans," I said as I struggled to get my emotions under control, "when we want to get married, what kind of wedding we want."

"We have plenty of time to decide," Elijah replied. "Now that we've made it over the biggest hurdle, we can take as much time as we want to make our plans."

I nodded. "I want you to have the kind of wedding you want, but since we can finally make it legal, I wouldn't mind doing it up right."

"I wouldn't mind a big blowout," Elijah admitted with a grin, "but I don't think it would be appropriate for me to wear white since I'm no longer a virgin."

I couldn't hold back my laughter, but after I'd managed to collect myself, I offered, "I've always preferred you in blue. Maybe you could get a tuxedo in a shade of blue that will match your eyes."

"If you get to dress me for the wedding, then I get to dress you," Elijah retorted. "Fair is fair."

"You're right, we have plenty of time to decide," I said, "but the most important decision should be made as soon as possible. When are we going to do this thing?"

"Shouldn't we check with your Mom to see when she's available?" Elijah asked. "Didn't you tell me she's some kind of minister and can perform wedding ceremonies now?"

I raised my eyebrows, though secretly I was pleased that he'd had the same thought as I had without my even having to mention it to him. "You really want Patty Duke to marry us?"

"It's something to consider," Elijah said, "and it would keep things in the family. I _am_ marrying her son, after all."

"Damn right you are," I said, pulling him into my arms for a kiss, "and it can't happen soon enough for me."

"For me either," Elijah agreed. "Eight years is a long enough engagement."

"Too long," I corrected, and together we pulled out our phones and began checking our schedules so we could find the perfect date.


End file.
